When the Israelis were implicated in an assassination scandal that targeted PLO leaders hiding in Europe and ended up with an innocent man getting killed the weapons they used were .22’s and they aimed for multiple shots to the abdomen. I don’t know if it was because they were hoping the leader died an agonizing death or it was considered the best target to aim for. In either case they obviously weren’t worried that the .22 wasn’t going to be powerful enough for the job.
Another reason that a .22 is so destructive is the fact that it tumbles as it goes through a soft mass, thereby doing great harm. A large bore simply goes straight through the mass.
Just a few observations on the grand old .22
A 300lb sow can be put down with a .22 short when placed in right section of the X you imagine on her head. (Grew up on a hog farm, know the routine.)
The mafia preferred (prefers?) the grand old .22. In their thinking, you weren’t worth the extra money for a “premium” round. The supreme insult, you got offed by a pi$$ant round. (Don’t know myself, but I’ve been told.)
According to what has been written, a lot of black and wet ops guys used the .22 for assassination work. The books The KGB and The CIA both mention it. The movie, Gideon’s Sword (based on a true story) made a point of referring to the Israeli preference for the round in their line of work. Easily concealed, relatively quiet, universally available. (Again, I don’t know, but I been told...)
What I do know for a fact is that once upon a different lifetime I knew folks who owned those small Beretta “flip top” .22s. (Never owned one myself, true beans.)
Those little suckers would spit 8 inches of flame, bark like a banshee, and scare the pi$$ out of everybody, even the guy shooting it. The street thugs with their big bad 9s would run and hide like rabbits. You didn’t need to hit a thing and you could always find the bad guys by following the pee trail.
Finally, I read an article saying that the number of people killed by the humble .22 is way high on the charts. (Now don’t some one of you go asking where I got that, I did NOT pull it out my butt, I remember reading something in Shotgun News [I think] about 15 years ago. They had a chart on the number of people known to have been killed by the different calibers in street crime.)
I like the .22. Versatile, light, easily controlled, [and that’s really, really important] deadly, and the best part, its usually under the anti gunner’s radar.
Hits. It’s all about hits.
From what I understand the Israeli Mossad agents use the .22 Beretta or something similar but when they use it they get up very close and personal and do head shots only.
From what I have read the more effective rounds for most people start at .40 cal./10mm and go upward. I’m just not sure how many women feel comfortable handling the kick from a compact carry .40 cal.
380 loaded with hollow points.
It almost could qualify as a .22 cal pistol, being chambered in 5.7mm. There is an optional 30-round magazine! Muzzle velocity is about 1,900 fps. Very accurate. The Secret Service carries them. Drawbacks: it and the ammo it uses are expensive.
But if you could get your hands on one of Barret's new handguns, you could end many fights just by flashing it at the perp.
Bookmark.
There’s a big difference between a bedside piece and a walkin’-around gun. The ability to hide a gun on your person makes the .22LR the ideal choice for most daily duties, at least in summer.
Yeah, I’d much rather carry a bigger hammer, but a tiny .22 in your pants pocket is better than leaving home half-dressed because you can’t hide your “buddy.”
And shot placement remains king, so practice, practice, practice. (Which is cheaper with a .22!)
.22 is my main weapon of choice. I have 7 right now. Mainly cause the ammo is so much cheaper and the weapons are cheaper and easier to maintain.
I do have some other weapons also, but the .22 is my main weapon stash.
ping
I enjoyed the 22 at my first “Woman On Target” class this weekend....The instructor said the bullet travels once it’s inside and also it is the gun of choice for the mafia(:
If it comes to survival, you can easily carry a couple thousand rounds of .22LR plus some clothing and food.
If comes down to urban warfare the .22LR might be the best round you could have!
Good article. I might add, a .22cal should be one of the first tools in a preppers bag.